Analog is dead, long
live analog! I feel compelled to write this review
about the Nottingham Analog Space Deck. Vinyl is
approaching extinction and I feel morally obligated
to do my share of spreading the analog gospel to
delay its impending doom. When CD was introduced, I
was one of the very first ones to jump on the
bandwagon. Dumped my turntable and bought the most
expensive CD player I could afford. After a few
weeks, the grim reality started to sink in - the
sound sucked! The industry lied. The CD medium was
not perfect as it was purported to be. It was
seriously flawed. I realized this upon hearing the
first CD I played, Morning Dance by Spiro
Gyra. The soundstage shrunk, imaging collapsed and
Beckenstein's sax lost its impact and metallic
luster. The shimmer and ethereal quality of the
cymbals on "Rasul", cut 3, side 1, turned into slush
and grit. The musicians lost their souls to the
digital incubus! Off the bandwagon I went and back
to analog! Whew! Bought a used Rega Planar 3, a new
Monster Cable Alpha 2 and I was back in business and
never looked back. Pardon me for getting
side-tracked; now back to the subject of this
review, the Space Deck!

I've been bitten by the upgrade bug a number of
times and have gone through a number of superb
turntables; Well Tempered, SOTA, VPI and Clearaudio
to name a few. In my humble opinion and experience,
none of these well-regarded disk spinners hold a
candle to the Space Deck when it comes to overall
musical satisfaction. First a disclaimer: I haven't
heard the multi-kilobuck candidates, such as the
top-of-the-line Basis, Walker Audio, Clearaudio, or
VPI. The Space Deck is the first reasonably priced
turntable that fooled me, even only for a few
precious seconds, that I was back in Carnegie Hall,
cavorting and applauding with the rest of the
audience, cheering good ol' Harry Belafonte. On his
Live at Carnegie Hall double album, side 3,
first cut, "Mama Look a Boo Boo", when the orchestra
and horns go full tilt, watch out!!! The soundstage
was so wide and holographic, it enveloped me; the
trumpet blasts in the middle of the song was so
powerful and frighteningly real, it scared me
shitless! None of the aforementioned tables, save
the Space Deck, have reproduced this cut in such a
realistic manner. Another prime example is Gene
Ammons' Boss Tenor, side 1, first cut, "Hittin'
the Jug". When Gene enters after a few bars, the
smoothness and jaw-dropping sonority of his sax will
mesmerize and leave you breathless. The Space Deck's
noise floor is so low, you can hear every inflection
and subtle cue. Heck, you can even hear his lips
moving around the sax's doggoned mouthpiece! Again,
I have never heard this effect before with the other
tables. Reproduction of the middle frequencies is
also world-class and supremely natural. Listen to
Allison Krauss crooning New Favorite, if you
don't get a stiffy, then you're either a comatose or
your last name is Bobbit!

To extract the last iota of performance from your
Space Deck, you must do the following:

a. Replace the stock mat with Boston Audio's Mat 1 -
this graphite composite mat significantly improved
the table's transparency. It also elevated the
deck's performance closer to its much more expensive
sibling, the HYPERSPACE.

b. Go to your nearest Bed, Bath & Beyond Store and
get the 2 1/2" chopping board, made of Canadian
maple. Replace the stock base with the chopping
board. This tweak will solidify the bass and extend
frequency response. If you want, you can have the
chopping block repainted to enhance visual appeal. I
had mine refinished and painted "PIANO BLACK". Wow!

c. Do not skimp on the tonearm and cartridge. You
can't use Big Moe's Mark IV Bamboo Shoot tonearm and
expect sonic bliss. I am presently using a modified
Silver 250 from Origin Live and a Shelter 901.
Tonearm was modified by installing the HIFI
Stabilzer Mod by the venerable Mr. Tom Lyons. That's
"TWL" to you Audiogoners! This mod, in my opinion,
catapulted the Silver 250's performance to the
superarms level. It removed a significant amount of
sonic muck and really let the Shelter strut its
stuff! No need for me to further expound on the
virtues of the Shelter. You all know it's an
exemplary performer.

d. You must find a way to tighten the screws on the
adjustable feet. Find some nuts that will fit the
screws and tighten them against the base after
leveling the table. Doing this will eliminate the
microscopic wobbling that muddies up the sound. Now
you are ready to play!

I love the contemporary looks of the Nottingham. It
may not have the Swiss quality craftsmanship of an
SME, but hey, it costs a lot less and its
performance is competitive with the best. If you
decide to get this table, make sure you are getting
the latest version - the one with the thicker
platter. The pictures you see in most their ads are
those of the older version. You can distinguish the
older version by checking the platter. The older
version has a thinner platter with only one rubber
ring around the edge. The platter of the latest
version is thicker with 2 rubber rings.

Now is the best time to get into analog. Most
treasured recordings from the Golden Age of analog
are now being remastered using the best vinyl
formulations and the finest mastering equipment. I'm
glad I'm still here to enjoy it at its zenith!

So there you go, my premier equipment review. Hope I
made a few converts. English is not my native
language, so please excuse the misspellings and
grammatical errors.